Freeze protection device for toilet bowl traps



y 1968 R. a. STROUT ETAL 3,390,406

' FREEZE PROTECTION DEVICE FOR TOILET BOWL TRAPS Filed April 18, 1966IFIG. 3

IFIG.4

United States Patent 3,390,406 FREEZE PROTECTION DEVICE FOR TOILET BOWLTRAPS Russell Brown Strout and John William Harrison,

Winchester, Mass., assignors to Lowry Development Corporation,Winchester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Apr. 18, 1%6,Ser. No. 543,109 4 Claims. (Cl. 4-1) This invention relates to winterprotection for toilet bowls and more particularly to a portablere-usable device that rnay be quickly installed in toilet bowls whichare destined to exposure to freezing temperatures and may be readilyremoved therefrom without awaiting thawing.

A disagreeable task of summer cottage owners in northern latitudes isthe preparation of the plumbing facilities for vacant unheated wintersurvival without damage from bursting pressures exerted during freezingof any included water. Particularly in these days of skiing, it is acommon occurrence for such cottages to be unheated all week butrepeatedly opened on successive week-ends throughout the winter season.Complicated or time-consuming protection procedures then become a realnuisance.

While most water lines can be drained by opening conveniently locateddrain plugs, toilet bowl traps are not so provided. If they arehand-pumped out to dryness, they defeat their purpose of preventinginflow of sewer or septic tank gases into the building. Addition ofliquids having low freezing points to the water in the traps is costly,particularly when it has to be done twenty or thirty times a winter withsuccessive week-end opening and closings of the cottage, and thisprocedure is not always secure for longer periods because of thevolatility of most of the low temperature freezing liquids such asalcohol. Nor are they desirable additions in quantity to septic tanks.

Objects of the invention thus include the provision of an inexpensivemeans for protecting toilet bowl facilities despite freezingtemperatures and without possibility of gas leakage, which is quicklymade operable, quickly removed without thawin and repeatedly re-usableand without resulting in undesirable addition to septic tanks.

To accomplish these objects, a removable plug is utilized which may beinserted into the bowl and trap to displace most of the water normallypresent in an unfrozen toilet bowl and trap, but the plug is of suchnature that if ice subsequently forms around it by reason of thepresence of undisplaced remaining water, it will be compressed by theexpensive force accompanying freezing of the water and relieve the rigidwalls of bursting pressure. The presence of the ice insures that, withthe plug, a gas block will be maintained. In addition the device is ofsuch nature that it will contract in crosssection when elongated so, iffrozen to the surrounding walls, when the device is pulled outwardly itwill contract and free it from the intervening layer of ice not by sheeras much as by delamination, and progressively inwardly of the trap.

A device of the invention and its mode of installation in a toilet bowlis illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a typical toilet bowl having adevice of this invention in freeze protection position in the underlyingtrap;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the device of this invention prior toinsertion in the toilet bowl;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the device shown in FIG. 2; and

3,390,405 Patented July 2, 1968 FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary viewshowing a modification of the structure of the device shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 1 illustrates a typical toilet bowl in cross-section having wallsforming a bowl 20, into which flush water flows through inlet 22. Thebowl communicates with an outlet 24 through an interposed curved drainor trap provided by the oppositely facing lips 26 and 28, the latterforming in effect a dam to trap water at a normal level indicated in thedrawings by the dotted line 30, above the bottom of lip 26 thusproviding a water seal against escape of gases accumulating beyond thetrap, back into the bowl.

It is this pool of trapped water which can cause damage to theinstallation if allowed to freeze and, in any event, requiressubstantial time to thaw if it is frozen solid.

A plug of this invention is shown prior to use in FIG. 2. It includes amolded block of elastically stretchable and compressible foam which hason its proximal end a head 40 of exterior bowl-shape contour merginginto an elongated distal portion 42. Preferably the mater al is a foamof the closed cell type having an external thin smooth skin resultingfrom the molding operation and can be conveniently made from siliconerubber foam or other rubber or plastic foam. The material contracts incross-section when stretched, similar to a rubber elastic band,particularly in its elongated portion.

The head is provided with a suitable handle 44 which may be a rigiddowel or a flexible strap or lacing whose ends are anchored in the headand which extends across a recess 46.

The plug is shown installed in the toilet bowl in FIG. 1. After thesource of water supply has been turned olf and the tank normallyconnected to the inlet 22 to the bowl has been drained by continualflushin of the toilet to remove all water except that remaining in thetrap, the plug is inserted in the bowl pushing most of the water in thetrap pool over lip 28 and down the drain outlet. Some water remains atthe interface between the plug and the surrounding walls. However, whensuch water freezes, any expansion is accommodated by an equivalentcompression of the plug. Whether present as water or as ice, thissurrounding medium with the plug bars escape of gases.

If it is desired to place the frozen bowl back into operation beforethawing the ice, for example before the cottage heating system becomeseffective, the plug may be readily released by grabbing the handle andpulling, freeing it from any ice in the bowl surrounding the head andthen progressively any ice surrounding the elongate portion as itcontracts due to elongation. The greater the pull the more thecontraction of the plug and the greater the separation force. The majorrequirement is that the material have more coherence than its adherenceto the ice layer surrounding it. For this reason, the plug may bereinforced with fibers or other materials so long as they do notinterfere with contraction upon stretching. Thus the plug can be wrappedin a coarse bias woven knit, braided net or with spirally wound yarns,as shown in FIG. 4 at 50, which can be overcoated with a finishingsmooth extensible coating 52, both of which have exaggerated thicknessin FIG. 4. When the plug is stretched, such a fabric will not initiallyresist contraction because of its bias configuration with respect to thepulling direction.

External plug coatings, such as of silicone, Teflon or othernon-wettable materials which reduce the specific adhesion of ice arealso useful. Oftentimes considerable amounts of such silicone anywayremain on the skins of molded foam articles when such silicones or othernonwettable materials are used in molds as parting agents.

It is also contemplated that one or more small grooves may be molded inalong a side surface of the device in order to permit water in the bowlabove the head to drain down into the trap.

As can be understood, the device supplies a real need from a standpointof expense, convenience and reliability.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a conventional toilet bowl having a curved drainleading to an outlet pipe, said drain providing a water trap for saidbowl, a freeze protection device comprising an elastically compressibleplug of stretchable material having an externally bowl-shaped proximalhead portion seated against the lower surface of said bowl and merginginto an elongated distal portion filling, in conjunction withsurrounding water, said Waste trap to block said trap against freeescape of outlet pipe gases, a handle on said head portion, saidmaterial yieldingly accommodating freezing expansion of any watersurrounding said plug at the interface between said plug and said bowland trap, and any ice formation sticking said plug thereto beingseparable progressively from the proximal to the distal end thereof asplug extracting forces are exerted through said handle on the proximalend causing said plug to progressively contract in cross-section as itis pulled from said bowl and trap.

2. A device for protecting toilet bowls and associated traps from freezedamage comprising an elastically com pressible and stretchable plugmember having a proximal head portion of exterior bowl-shape contour,said head portion merging into an elongated distal portion of smallercross-section adapted to be inserted into the curved drain forming awater trap beneath a toilet bowl, said plug contracting in cross-sectionwhen stretched, whereby said plug 'will compressibly absorb anyexpansion forces as ice forms in said bowl or trap around said plug, andan unplugging force applied to said plug will progressively contractsaid plug as it is elongated to separate said plug from any ice layerformed at the interface between said plug and the surrounding bowl andtrap surfaces.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the plug is a unitary moldedclosed cell plastic foam.

4. A device as claimed in claim 2, having a reinforcement of biasoriented yarns embedded beneath the surface of at least its distalportion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,381,426 6/ 1921 Parker 138271,648,467 11/1927 Vautier 138-27 2,273,505 2/1942 Florian 13=82'83,176,317 4/1965 Kelseaux 41 3,350,722 11/1967 Moreschini 411 LAVERNE D.GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

H. K. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A CONVENTIONAL TOILET BOWL HAVING A CURVED DRAINLEADING TO AN OUTLET PIPE, SAID DRAIN PROVIDING A WATER TRAP FOR SAIDBOWL, A FREEZE PROTECTION DEVICE COMPRISING AN ELASTICALLY COMPRESSIBLEPLUG OF STRETCHABLE MATERIAL HAVING AN EXTERNALLY BOWL-SHAPED PROXIMALHEAD PORTION SEATED AGAINST THE LOWER SURFACE OF SAID BOWL AND MERGINGINTO AN ELONGATED DISTAL PORTION FILLING, IN CONJUNCTION WITHSURROUNDING WATER, SAID WASTE TRAP TO BLOCK SAID TRAP AGAINST FREEESCAPE OF OUTLET PIPE GASES, A HANDLE ON SAID HEAD PORTION, SAIDMATERIAL YIELDINGLY ACCOMMODATING FREEZING EXPANSION OF ANY WATER WATERSURROUNDING SAID PLUG AT THE INTERFACE BETWEEN SAID PLUG AND SAID BOWLAND TRAP, AND ANY ICE FORMATION STICKING SAID PLUG THERETO BEINGSEPARABLE PROGRESSIVELY FROM THE PROXIMAL TO THE DISTAL END THEREOF ASPLUG EXTRACTING FORCES ARE EXERTED THROUGH SAID HANDLE ON THE PROXIMALEND CAUSING SAID PLUG TO PROGRESSIVELY CONTRACT IN CROSS-SECTION AS ITIS PULLED FROM SAID BOWL AND TRAP.